


(Feels Like) Heaven

by OverlyObsessed223



Series: Together We'll Be, Forever You'll See [2]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dreams and Nightmares, Emotional Manipulation, Gen, Ghosts, Mother-Son Relationship, Powerful Klaus Hargreeves, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 16:47:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28746438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OverlyObsessed223/pseuds/OverlyObsessed223
Summary: Warmth, comfort, and love—growing up, Klaus' life has been nothing short of perfect.His nightmares, however, seem to suggest otherwise.
Relationships: Klaus Hargreeves & Lila Pitts, The Handler & Klaus Hargreeves, The Handler & Lila Pitts
Series: Together We'll Be, Forever You'll See [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2102061
Comments: 15
Kudos: 124





	(Feels Like) Heaven

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, here it is—work 2! I'm so damn excited for this one, I'm really proud of the work I've done on it so far. 
> 
> I hope y'all enjoy it!

Klaus is so very happy.

Though happiness is not an unfamiliar feeling for him—he often finds himself moving through his life with a sense of joy. After all, he has much to smile about, from the smell of the waffles coming down the hall from the kitchen to the new set of fairy lights that are now strung up on his bedroom walls. Nowadays, Klaus finds it harder and harder to find something that will truly make him sad.

Nighttime is a different story, of course, but Klaus would rather not think about that right now. 

His bedroom is spacious and tidy, kept that way by Mrs. Cooper, the nice lady who comes and cleans their house while they’re away during the day. The walls are painted plain white but have since been drawn and painted on by Klaus in the past years, something his mother doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, instead of getting angry when she first found his doodles on the walls, she smiled that same prideful smile that always makes Klaus’ chest swell with immense happiness. 

“These drawings are beautiful, Klaus,” Mother had said, using her perfectly manicured hand to gingerly trace the many self-portraits he’d drawn with markers just hours before. “Do keep this up, little one—I love seeing your artwork.”

So of course, he’s been drawing on his walls ever since. 

It’s the frequent praise given to him that makes him feel so very loved by his mother. Often times, Klaus will be doing something minuscule like doodling on the pages of his schoolwork, and his mother will lean over his shoulder and give him a smile instead of scolding him for not focusing on his work. Really, though, Klaus hardly ever gets scolded, and when he does it’s because he was doing something unsafe or dangerous. 

It’s always alright, though, because Klaus knows his mother’s love for him is unconditional. Her love is clear through the way she gently strokes her hands through his messy curls, the way she’s constantly buying him all the toys he’s ever wanted, the way she makes him feel so special. It’s clear through the way she praises and smiles at him—Klaus has never seen someone who’s more genuine than his mother.

She loves him, and he loves her. 

The smell of the waffles is getting stronger by the minute, and Klaus’ tummy growls in anticipation. Jumping around his room, he tugs on the shorts and shirt Mother laid out the night before. Then, once he’s fully dressed, he hurries into his attached bathroom, thoroughly brushing his teeth while carefully counting to two minutes.

Then, Klaus bursts out of his room and races into the kitchen. 

His mother is moving around the kitchen gracefully as she always is this early in the morning. Her blue heels, which are matching with the color of her dress, steadily click-clack against the kitchen tile, but can hardly be heard above the sound of the spin table playing in the corner of the dining room. Her perfect blonde curls bounce up and down from under the pink floral hat resting on top of her head—in all, she keeps in time with her self made rhythm, never a beat behind or ahead.

Klaus eagerly sits in his chair just as Mother places a large plate of waffles in front of him. 

“My favorite!” Klaus grins as his mother pours a considerable amount of syrup onto his stack of waffles. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Lila enter the dining room and climb into her usual seat next to him. 

“Mummy, why couldn’t we have had pancakes?” Lila frowns as she eyeballs her own plate of waffles resting on the table in front of her. 

“Because waffles are better,” Klaus answers matter of factly before Mother can say anything. 

Lila crosses her arms against her chest and glares at her untouched waffles.

Truly, Klaus believes his sister is the coolest person he knows. 

“Lila, darling, we had pancakes yesterday, remember?” Mother reminds her, an eyebrow raised as she moves to drizzle a small amount of syrup onto Lila’s waffles. Lila huffs in response but proceeds to eat the waffles anyway. Klaus can’t understand how anyone could enjoy pancakes more than waffles, but Lila has never been a person who gravitates towards the normal parts of life. Instead, she creates her own pathways, which Klaus admires a lot. 

Still, waffles are clearly better than pancakes, and nothing will ever change his mind on that. 

After breakfast, Mother hands Lila and Klaus their personal backpacks, which hold both their study tools and other items to keep them occupied during the day. As Mother gathers the last of her things, Klaus and his sister wait for her in the entrance room. Klaus, however, has never been one for standing around and instantly gets a not so new idea. 

“Race you to the car!” Klaus challenges suddenly with a grin on his face. Lila rolls her eyes because Klaus races her almost every morning, but she doesn’t hesitate to take off running towards the front door. With a joyful heart, Klaus runs after her. 

Like always, Lila wins, but Klaus has never minded losing. Just spending time with his family is enough for him. 

* * *

Klaus loves going to the Commission headquarters, which works out great because he spends a huge chunk of his time here. 

Today begins just the same as all the days Klaus can remember. When Mother parks the car in her priority parking space, Klaus eagerly hops out and moves quickly to keep up with her as she goes inside. (She’s wearing a dress the color of the ocean sea—she’s as beautiful as always). Mother pushes through the front entrance, holding the door long enough for Lila and Klaus to slip through, and begins navigating the busy traffic of people that are flowing through the lobby. 

As much as Klaus admires the way his mother moves gracefully through the halls with her shoulders squared back and her head held high, he can never manage to do the same. While Lila is able to match their mother’s pace, occasionally glancing up at her to ensure she’s doing the correct thing, Klaus lags behind, simply because he’s enamored by all the people—the alive ones, that is. He zig-zags down every hall, waving and loudly greeting every person he makes eye contact with. Unfortunately, for some reason, he rarely gets more than a smile and wave in reply, but it never bothers him for too long before he’s moving onto the next person. 

“Hi, Herb!” Klaus exclaims when he sees Herb standing outside the break room, holding a mug of coffee in his hand. 

“Hello, Klaus, how are you today?” Herb asks with his usual kind smile, giving a slight bow in greeting. 

“I’m great! We had waffles for breakfast today,” Klaus reports, coming to a halt in the middle of the hallway to continue his chat with Herb. Herb is one of his favorite people here because he’s pretty much the only one who will have a full conversation with him without looking nervous or weird in general. 

“I’m beginning to think you have waffles every morning,” Herb says, raising an eyebrow as he grins knowingly.

“No, yesterday we had pancakes,” Klaus scrunches up his face and sticks his tongue out to emphasize how  _ yucky _ pancakes are. “Because Lila wanted them. Why does Lila have to like gross things like pancakes?”

Herb opens his mouth to respond, but before he can, Mother’s voice rings out from further down the hallway. 

“Klaus! Come, come!”

Klaus turns his head to see his mother’s face through a crowd of people, giving him a stern look that he’s definitely seen before. Her hands are on her hips, long fingers drumming lightly on the fabric of her dress, and she raises one hand to beckon him forward. Lila is standing next to her, arms crossed with an almost sour look donning her sharp features. 

“We’ll continue this discussion another time, Klaus,” Herb says as he begins to back away from him. He seems nervous, just like everyone else is when they’re in his mother’s line of sight. Klaus doesn’t understand the reasoning behind that—as far as he’s concerned, his mother is the nicest mother in the whole wide world. “Run along, won’t you?”

“Okay,” Klaus nods, though his shoulders slump a bit in disappointment because, again, he really likes talking to Herb. 

Then, he scampers to catch up with his mother and sister. 

“Do keep up, won’t you, little one?” Mother requests, not unkindly as she begins walking again. This time, Klaus manages to walk beside her, if only because she’s directly addressing him. “This is a large building and I would hate for you to get lost.”

They reach her office, and Mother pulls her ring of keys out from her purse and begins flipping through them to find the one that unlocks the office. While she does that, Klaus stands to the side and watches as the nicely dressed people hurry up and down the hallways—employees, his mother calls them. They’re all working, but it hits Klaus for the very first time that he doesn’t know what they’re doing. 

“Mother?” Klaus says, and she hums to signal that she’s listening to him. “What does the Commission even do?”

His question gives his mother pause, and she glances down with an almost surprised look on her face. 

“Have I never told you?” Mother asks and glances over at Lila who shakes her head no. “I could have sworn that I have.” 

She sticks the correct key into the office door and pushes it open, flipping on the lights as she enters. Klaus and Lila both set their backpacks down on the ground next to the wall as Mother heads to her desk, setting down her purse and sorting through a few papers in front of her. 

“Well, darlings,” Mother begins her explanation, “The Commission is responsible for keeping the timeline on Earth in order. Here, in the office, the Case Managers determine the eliminations needed for the timeline to carry on as it should. Then, the temporal assassins out on the ground correct the timeline.”

“Whoa,” Klaus breathes, his eyes wide. Though, he’ll admit he doesn’t quite understand most of what his mother just said. “That’s awesome!”

Lila tilts her head in confusion, furrowing her brows. “What’s a temporal assassin?”

Mother just simply smiles at her. 

“You’ll know soon enough, little one.”

Lila continues to frown to herself but seems satisfied with the knowledge that one day she’ll get an answer. 

Mother lowers herself into her desk chair, resting an elbow on the desk and her chin on her palm. A proud smile is on her lips as she gazes between Klaus and Lila. Just the simple softness of her eyes sparks warmth in Klaus’ chest, making him feel loved.

“You two are lucky,” Mother says excitedly. “Because I’m The Handler, you’ll both have positions waiting for you here once you’re all grown up. You’ll work alongside me—forever. Doesn’t that sound like so much fun, little ones?”

Spending forever with his kind, amazing mother, here at the Commission? If Klaus is being honest, he’s never thought much about the future, but he decides right here and now that his future is one to be envied. He nods enthusiastically to Mother’s question, already dreaming of what’s to come. 

He just can’t wait. 

* * *

The hallway is dark, and as far as he knows, never-ending. 

Klaus stands in the doorway, gazing into the dark abyss that seems to stretch on forever. It’s unclear how long he’s been doing this, but he’s come to learn that time passes differently here. He just can’t seem to move his legs—it feels like his feet are glued to the floor, either unable or unwilling to run far away from what he can only describe as a house of horrors. He gulps nervously, leaning back as far as he can from the shadowed hallway in front of him. He wants to leave and be as far away from here as possible.

But Klaus rarely gets what he wants when he’s here, and he feels an unknown force violently shove him forward, causing him to face plant onto the old, wooden floor. There’s a loud bang—the sound of a door being slammed shut—and when Klaus leaps to his feet and turns around, he’s met with a blank wall right where the doorway used to be. He’s now trapped in the very place he desperately doesn’t want to be. 

He turns around to face the hallway. 

Well, it looks like there’s only one way to go. 

Klaus begins walking, hugging himself in an attempt to make himself as small as possible. With every step he takes, wood planks beneath his feet let out piercing creaks, echoing off of the doorless walls. The walls are painted a weird shade of brown and are covered in blurry paintings that are constantly morphing and shifting as he walks, illuminated by dim glowing sconces that leave the hallway a single level above pitch blackness. 

What stands out the most about this place, however, is the silence that is almost deafening. Usually, the ghosts are always screaming and crying wherever Klaus goes, but here there’s not a ghost in sight. It’s just him, alone in a dimly lit hallway that doesn’t seem to have an ending. 

He used to always wish for the ghosts to leave him alone, but now he’s not too sure he likes their absence. 

And then, he hears a single creak from behind him. 

Klaus spins around and is immediately horrified by what he sees. The hallway behind him is now completely dark, and in the darkness, there are a pair of cold, icy blue eyes staring right at him. The eyes don’t belong to a face or a body—they’re just floating in darkness, glaring at him without actually seeing him. 

Horror erupts within him when The Eyes begin moving forward.

Klaus almost trips over his feet as he takes off down the hallway, an icy terror pumping through his veins as he runs as fast he can. The floor and walls blur just outside of his line of sight as he searches for any kind of door or exit, but he finds nothing but the paintings that are now rapidly morphing so fast that Klaus can’t even see what they’re of anymore. Quickly, Klaus looks over his shoulder and realizes that no matter how fast he runs, The Eyes are gaining on him. Soon, they’ll catch up to him, and Klaus doesn’t want to know what will happen then. 

He runs for what feels simultaneously like seconds and hours before he finally reaches the end of the hallway. There’s a closed door, and when Klaus reaches it he jiggles the doorknob only to come to the realization that the door is locked. He glances behind him and sees The Eyes getting closer and closer, hungry and angry. 

“Help!” Klaus shouts, banging his fists against the wooden door. “Please, open up! Help!”

It’s no use—the door stays shut. 

His vision begins to darken as the hallway behind him gets eaten up with each step The Eyes takes, threatening to eat him whole. 

Klaus’ scream pierces through the darkness. 

And then he wakes up. 

“Mother!” Klaus wails, hot tears spilling from his eyes as he rips the covers off of his body. He leaps out of bed and runs out of his room into the dark but familiar hallway of his home. Out of the corner of his eye, he spots a few ghosts watching him from the shadows they’re shrouded in, and while they would usually terrify Klaus to his core, right now his fear of ghosts pale in comparison to the nightmare that still lies fresh in his mind. 

“Little one?” The hushed, concerned voice of his mother calls from down the hallway and Klaus lets out a relieved sob at her mere presence. She steps into view—she’s in her light pink nightgown, and her long blonde hair is all the way down, no strand pinned back or tied up. Though there’s no makeup on her face, she’s the most beautiful sight Klaus has ever seen, and he wastes no time in throwing himself into her arms. 

Her arms tighten around him, pulling him close to her body as he cries into her nightgown, soaking the fabric with his tears. 

“What happened, darling?” Mother asks, her voice no louder than a whisper, and Klaus vaguely remembers that his sister is asleep a few doors down. “What’s the matter?”

“I had a bad dream,” Klaus whimpers. He feels the comforting touch of his mother’s hand running through his hair, and it calms him down ever so slightly. 

Mother lets out a small sigh before picking him up off the ground, carrying him back to his room. She sits down with him on the bed, the mattress sinking and creaking as she does. Klaus leans into her side, weakly attempting to shield himself from the horrors of the world around him. Her hand runs up and down his arm comfortingly, and her touch helps ground him in reality, so much that the fear in his heart is slowly ebbing away. 

“Was it the scary eyes again, little one?”

Klaus nods wearily into her nightgown. 

“They’re really mean and scary looking, and they keep chasing me,” Klaus says, as if he hasn’t explained the events of the dream to her before—this is, of course, not the first night he’s had this nightmare, and he sadly suspects it won’t be the last. “Why won’t they leave me alone?”

“It was just a dream, darling,” Mother says, just as she always says when he has a particularly bad nightmare. “There’s nothing to fear—the eyes are nothing but a figment of your extremely powerful imagination.”

And he knows that, he  _ does _ , but The Eyes seem so real to him that it’s hard to believe they’re only in his head.

“You’re safe here, with me,” Mother murmurs into his ear, her blonde hair tickling his face as she hugs him even tighter. “Do you understand?”

After a moment of contemplation, Klaus nods, because there’s no one he trusts more than his mother. 

They sit on the bed like that for a while, and Klaus falls asleep to the sound of Mother’s heart beating. 

He can’t imagine his life being any less perfect than it is right now. 

**Author's Note:**

> Leave me a comment letting me know what you think of this so far!


End file.
